Friday Evening Shabbat Services
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Led by our Rabbi, Friday evening services take place in our sanctuary every week at 7:30 except during the months of December, January and February when they are held at 6:00 p.m. During July and August most of the Friday evening services are held in our informal summer sanctuary downstairs and led by members of the congregation.
Some of our services focus on special themes (e.g., ecological awareness, animal appreciation) or are enhanced by the active participation of children from our Religious School; the Sisterhood, Men’s Club or Youth Group; or congregants with special knowledge or experiences to share.
Once a month our Shabbat service is geared to families with children and is preceded or followed by a dinner to which congregants of all ages are invited. Please check the Calendar to determine the exact time, theme, etc. of each service and the dates of our Shabbat dinners, for which there is a small charge and reservations must be made in advance.
Saturday Morning Torah Study
Each Saturday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 Rabbi Altman leads a stimulating study of a section of the week’s parashah. Questions are welcomed and discussion is lively and far-ranging. Ten to twelve people of all ages usually attend and new members immediately feel part of the group. (See the Calendar to determine whether Torah study has been canceled on a rare Saturday.)
New Paths Morning Services
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The New Paths Service at Vassar Temple provides an opportunity for Sabbath morning worship in a relaxed environment. This approach to worship encourages interactive participation in prayer and the reading of Torah, as we discuss and interpret the traditional in relation to our contemporary world of experience.
New Paths Services are usually held on the first and third Saturday mornings of the month in the intimacy of our sunlit East Chapel at 10:00 a.m., followed by a simple kiddush. Many who have attended have found a rich variety of new paths toward spiritual growth and understanding. (To ascertain the exact dates of our New Paths services, see the Calendar.)
High Holy Day and Festival Services
Our High Holy Day services are warm and welcoming, enhanced by special music. They include Selichot services, a Tashlich ceremony, children’s services, extensive congregational participation, and a Break Fast at the end of Yom Kippur.
We have appropriate services for holidays, religious observances and festivals, including four Yizkor services each year. The unfurling of a Torah scroll around the sanctuary at Simchat Torah, the candlelight service during Hanukkah and the Purim “spiel” make those holidays especially joyful.
